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Gerald R. Ford Library
1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
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Gerald R. Ford Library
1000 Beal Avenue,
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov |
Domestic Council
STEPHEN G. McCONAHEY
Associate Director for
Transportation; Special Assistant
to the President for Intergovernmental
Affairs:
Files, 1975-77
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
McConahey handled liaison and policy coordination with state, local, and territorial governments and related organizations such as the National Governors' Conference and the National League of Cities. Community development, energy and environmental policies, revenue sharing, the 1976 campaign, and federal aid are typical issues. A smaller portion of the collection derives from his work on transportation issues such as no‑fault insurance and highway projects.
QUANTITY
16.8 linear feet (ca. 33,600 pages)
DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession numbers 77-23 and
77-107)
ACCESS
Open.
Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of
gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and
Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).
COPYRIGHT
Gerald Ford has donated to the
Prepared by Sandra Raub
& Kenneth Hafeli, May 1982
[s:\bin\findaid\mcconahey, stephen - files.doc]
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Stephen
G. McConahey
1966 B.S.,
political science and economics,
1968 MBA,
1968‑72 Management consultant, McKinsey and
Company,
1972‑73 White House Fellow, assigned to the
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
1973‑75 Management analyst and subsequently
director, Office of Transit Management, Urban Mass Transportation
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
Sept. 1975‑Jan. 1976 Associate Director for Transportation,
the Domestic Council
Jan. 1976‑Jan. 1977 Special Assistant to the President
for Intergovernmental Affairs
1977‑ Boettcher
and Company,
INTRODUCTION
Stephen
McConahey joined the White House staff on
Drawing on his past experiences as director
of the Department of Transportation's Office of Transit Management, McConahey
worked both with government officials, especially Transportation Secretary
William Coleman, and industry representatives in developing and evaluating
federal transportation policies. He
conducted analyses of transportation problems, developed and presented policy
positions to White House staff and outside groups, and participated in the
development of transportation legislation.
Areas of concern included highway and airport development, urban mass
transit, railroad reorganization, highway safety, no fault automobile
insurance, and regulatory reform.
McConahey's files include a small amount of material compiled by his
predecessor, Michael Raoul‑Duval; the files of Judith Hope, who succeeded
McConahey as Associate Director, include materials passed on by both of her
predecessors.
McConahey's appointment as Special
Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, a newly created position, reflected
the President's desire to improve the intergovernmental relations capabilities
of the Executive branch. Vice President
Nelson Rockefeller, in a memo to the President of
As special assistant with responsibility
for liaison with state, county, and local officials, intergovernmental organizations,
and public interest groups, McConahey sought to monitor and respond to
important intergovernmental matters such as community development, block
grants, and agricultural, environmental, and welfare policies. His major objectives were: 1.) to comment on
program and policy decisions made by White House staff; 2.) to maintain a
consultation process with state and local officials; 3.) to improve Executive
Branch support of intergovernmental activities by meeting with agency and
department representatives; 4.) to undertake substantive analyses of specific
issues such as public employee bargaining and state and local financial
problems; and 5.) to provide staff support for the president by preparing
briefing material and arranging and attending meetings with state and local
officials as well as handling day‑to‑day communications with such
officials and public interest groups.
McConahey thus had routine contacts with
the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Council, and other White
House staff. He also frequently
corresponded or met with state governors, mayors and other local official and
representatives of intergovernmental organizations such as the Advisory
Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, the National Association of Counties,
the National Governors' Conference, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
McConahey's files include correspondence,
memoranda, background material, meeting notes and schedule proposals, material
prepared for the President's briefing book for the 1976 campaign, and comments
on enrolled bills. A small amount of
material is addressed to McConahey's predecessor James Falk; a few items were
handled by McConahey's assistant Patrick Delaney.
Related Materials (May 1982):
Related material can be found in a number of
other Domestic Council files, particularly those of Michael Raoul‑Duval
and Judith Hope (Transportation); and James H. Falk, Rayburn D. Hanzlik, and
James M. Cannon (Intergovernmental Affairs).
White House Central Files categories TR (Transportation) and FG 69
(Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs) also contain additional
material.
Series Descriptions
1‑8 Transportation
Subject File, 1975-76. (3.2 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, reports,
studies, notes, press releases, newsletters, and publications dealing with
federal transportation policy. Issues
covered include automobile safety, fuel economy and emissions standards, no
fault insurance, mass transportation systems, highway and airport development,
and regulatory reform of railroads and the trucking industry.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
9‑19 Intergovernmental
Primarily copies of incoming correspondence
from state and local officials with carbons of McConahey's replies. Also memoranda, clippings, pamphlets and
publications. A variety of topics are
touched upon including federal disaster assistance, base closings, federal
payments in lieu of taxes, community development, general revenue sharing,
transportation, energy, and environmental policy, unemployment, welfare, the
Bicentennial and the 1976 campaign.
Material related to advance work done for the Economic Summit in
Arranged alphabetically by state, with
occasional sub‑files for cities, meetings, or individuals.
20‑31 Intergovernmental
Affairs Subject File, 1976-77. (4.6
linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes,
Q & A's and issues statements prepared for the President, clippings, press
releases, newsletters, other publications, itineraries, travel vouchers,
resumes, and weekly reports to Executive Director Cannon. Some material, including weekly briefing
sheets for Vice President Ford (February ‑ August 1974) date from the
period when James H. Falk was handling intergovernmental affairs. Much of the material is related to
McConahey's meetings and other contacts with groups such as the Advisory
Commission on Intergovernmental Affairs, the National Association of Counties,
the National Governors' Conference, the National League of Cities, and the U.S.
Conference of Mayors. The issues
discussed include base closings, energy policy, general revenue sharing,
transportation policy, and the 1976 campaign.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
31‑32 Intergovernmental
Affairs Presidential Meetings and Appearances File, 1976. (0.4 linear feet)
Memoranda, lists of appointments, schedule
proposals, agenda, and seating charts relating to President Ford's meetings
with state governors, mayors and other local officials.
Arranged chronologically by meeting.
32‑33 Intergovernmental
Affairs Presidential Briefing Books File, 1976. (0.4 linear feet)
Q & A's and other background material
prepared for Ford's 1976 campaign trips.
Arranged chronologically by trip.
33‑35 Enrolled
Bills File, 1976. (1.0 linear feet)
McConahey's October 1976 concurrences on
enrolled bills, with copies of agency opinions sent to the Office of Management
and Budget and OMB memos to the President.
Also a small amount of correspondence and a log of bills received at the
White House in October 1976.
Arranged by department or agency of primary
interest.
36‑42 Margo
Boyle Subject File, 1976. (2.8 linear
feet)
Memoranda, correspondence, notes, press
releases, clippings, publications and other printed material compiled by Boyle
while assisting Stephen McConahey with intergovernmental relations. Boyle monitored Bicentennial activities and
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Container
List
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations
Allstate Insurance Company
American Public Transit Association
American Public Transit Association ‑
Transit Journal
Automobile Design
Automobile Emission Standards
Automobile Industry
Automobile ‑ Miscellaneous
Automobile Safety
Automobile ‑ Theft Prevention
Briefing Papers
Bumper Standards
Daylight Savings Time
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Transportation
‑ Anti‑Lobbying of Highway Bill
‑ Congressional Correspondence
‑ Highway
‑ Hydraulic Brake Standard (105‑75)
‑ Interviews
‑ Legate, Virkler
‑ Legislative Report
‑ News
‑ Regulatory Reform
‑ State of the Union (1)-(2)
Domestic Council ‑ Policy Review
Domestic Council ‑ Profile Completed
Economic Policy Board
Enrolled Bill HR 3786 ‑ Federal Share
of Highway Projects
General Reference
Grant Awards
Highway Bill (Active File)
Highway Fund
Highway 131 (
Highway Legislation
Highway Trust Fund ‑
Interstate 66
Lock and Dam 26 (1)-(3)
Maritime
Maritime ‑ Cotton Club
Mass Transit ‑
Mass Transit ‑
Motor Carrier Deregulation
Motor Vehicle Inspection
Motor Vehicle Safety
Multi ‑ State Transportation Corridor
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
National Research Council
National Transportation Policy Statement
No Fault Insurance
‑
‑ Federal
‑
‑ General (1)-(4)
‑
‑
‑
‑
No Fault Insurance
‑ State No Fault Insurance
Office of Management and Budget
Office of Management and Budget ‑
Fall Review (1)-(3)
Passenger Restraints
Public Transit ‑ Ira Kaze,
"Public Transit, an Area of Concern for the Rural South"
Rail Reorganization Act
Railroad Rehabilitation Program (1)
Railroad Rehabilitation Program (2)-(3)
Railroad Revitalization (1)-(3)
Railroad Subsidy Problems ‑ Governor
Marvin Mandel
Railroad ‑
Railroad ‑
Traffic Safety
Transportation ‑ Miscellaneous
Urban Mass Transportation Administration
White House Public Forum on Domestic Policy
‑
‑
‑
Foreign Countries
Action Memoranda (1)-(3)
Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations
American Association of Small Cities
Appointment ‑ Commissions
Correspondence
Council for International Urban Liaison
Council of State Governments
Council of State Governments ‑ Midwestern
Office
Disasters
Domestic Council ‑ Administration
Domestic Council ‑ Staff and
Telephone Directing
Economic Issues ‑ General
Economic Issues ‑ Economic Adjustment
Committee Meeting,
Energy
Energy ‑ Response to "Gas
Watchers" Program
Ethnic Conference,
Federal Financial Assistance
Federal Regional Council
Federal Regional Council ‑ Regional
Office Activities
Finances
Form Letters
General Revenue Sharing
‑ Bill Signing Ceremony
- Form Letters
‑ General
‑ Issues and Options,
‑ Presidential Message on Renewal
Legislation
‑ Responses
‑ Steering Group
‑ Weekly Report
Health
Inflation ‑ Responses to Presidential
Letter of
Intergovernmental Affairs
Intergovernmental Agencies
Intergovernmental Areas of Responsibility
to Cannon
Intergovernmental Personnel Act
Indians
Issues ‑ McKee, Patricia
Legislative Notebook
Miscellaneous (1)-(2)
National Association of Attorneys General
National Association of Counties ‑
General (1)-(2)
